Thirsty? You're in luck if you're at a World Cup match in Miami, where a draft beer ranks among the lower range of prices compared to other U.S. host city stadiums.

Why it matters: There is a wild variance in prices for food, water and other drinks across the 11 U.S. cities hosting the World Cup this year.

State of play: Unlike previous World Cups, where FIFA had one concession model throughout all games, this year it partnered with different operators, per a spokesperson.

• FIFA did not respond to a question about how the revenue is shared among FIFA and the venues.

Case in point: A 20-ounce water bottle — one of the few items every U.S. stadium offers at concession stands — costs $3 in Atlanta and $8.50 in Dallas.

Zoom in: A 20-ounce draft American beer at Miami Stadium (Hard Rock) goes for $14.50, about $2 less than the American stadium average.

• The stadium hot dog ($8.50), pretzel ($8) and nachos ($9) are also relatively inexpensive compared to other city's stadium offerings.

Zoom out: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium topped the ranking: A 20-ounce craft beer goes for $24.50, while a brisket sandwich costs $18 and a water bottle is $7.

• In Boston, a 16-ounce American beer will run you $16 and a hot dog $7.

Meanwhile, at Atlanta Stadium, fans are seeing remarkably low prices — $9 for a large draft beer and $2 for a hot dog.

Yes, but: While the prices of classic concession items are relatively lower, in classic Miami fashion, fans can still indulge in a few splurges: Tater tots topped with caviar for $75 or a 5 pound empanada for $40.

Keep reading

The Colombia and Portugal match ended in a 0-0 draw on Saturday in Miami, sending both teams to the knockout stage of the World Cup.

Why it matters: It was reportedly the most in-demand group-stage match of the World Cup, per The Athletic, a product of the massive local Colombian community and the stardom of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

• Saturday was also the first time the Colombian national team played at Hard Rock since the 2024 Copa America final, when a mob of fans without tickets stormed the entrances. That incident led to tighter security at the stadium.

The intrigue: Some fans gathered outside the stadium more than seven hours before the game started. (Some drank beer at a gas station.)

What they're saying: Felipe Jaramillo, a Colombian living in Miami, showed up around 12:30pm with his friend to ensure he would get into the game hassle-free.

• Jaramillo was at the 2024 Copa America final and was turned away due to overcrowding despite having a ticket.
• "To avoid problems, I came to find parking as early as possible. ... I don't want that to happen to me again."

Fan split: Outside before the game, yellow jerseys far outnumbered red ones, with large groups of Colombian fans dancing and cheering.

• Inside, Portugal's red jersey was much more noticeable, with large groups of red and green throughout the crowd.

VIP sightings: Miami music legends Gloria and Emilio Estefan, homegrown comedian Marcello Hernandez, ex-Heat star Jimmy Butler, FBI director Kash Patel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston.

• Butler and Winston both wore Colombia jerseys. (Butler attended as a fan, and Winston was dancing with fans pre-game as a FOX Sports celebrity correspondent.)

Bonus: We ran into Butler at the media security checkpoint and had to snag a pic.

• We reminded him how we interviewed him at the Big Face opening, and he totally remembered us (or at least that's what we told ourselves).

Share this story

More is more when it comes to places to watch the World Cup in Miami.

• There's the Fan Fest, the countless bars and restaurants, the music venue-turned-watch party and now the Lost Boy Clubhouse.

State of play: The downtown watering hole kicked off its immersive experience on Saturday with a massive watch party for the Colombia versus Portugal match.

• It features giant LED screens, a soccer pitch for pick-up games, fan activations and live entertainment.

How it works: The Clubhouse will stream every match for the duration of the tournament, with doors opening two hours before kickoff.

• Seating is first come, first served.

The big picture: The experience — specifically the 150-foot community mini soccer pitch — is part of a partnership between the Downtown Development Authority of the City of Miami and Airbnb.

• The $400,000 investment from Airbnb will bring a total of four soccer pitches for the tournament, the first of which opened at Lost Boy, per a news release.
• Three others will open later this summer, and all will open for community use.

Tell a friend

🗓️ ICYMI: Miami commissioners didn't take any official action last week regarding the police department's partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Miami Herald)

• But three of the city's five commissioners said they would be willing to exit the ICE agreement if it can be done legally.

👀 Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez said his office caught people trying to cheat on the Florida driver license knowledge exam by using hidden microphones and recording equipment to receive assistance during the test. (The Herald)

🍹 Upper Eastside Hangout — the 79th Street spot that replaced The Anderson — has food vendors like Cheeseburger Baby and Tacomiendo, cocktails and World Cup watch parties. (More openings via The Infatuation Miami)

A "heat dome" is forecast to bring dangerously high temperatures to much of the eastern half of the U.S. next week.

• The extreme heat could last through July 4 celebrations.

Driving the news: "Widespread temperatures into the 90s to low 100s, combined with high humidity, will result in heat indices approaching or exceeding 105-110 in many places," NOAA forecasters write.

• "Overnight lows will also be quite warm, with some record high minimums possible, bringing little to no relief from the heat in the nighttime hours."

🥵 Meanwhile: The heat wave baking Europe last week wouldn't be possible without climate change, a World Weather Attribution rapid study found.

Tell a friend